narrative

American  

[nar-uh-tiv] / ˈnær ə tɪv /

noun

• narratives
  plural

1. a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.

   Synonyms:

   tale, chronicle

2. a book, literary work, etc., containing such a story.

3. the art, technique, or process of narrating, or of telling a story.

   Somerset Maugham was a master of narrative.

4. a story that connects and explains a carefully selected set of supposedly true events, experiences, or the like, intended to support a particular viewpoint or thesis.

   to rewrite the prevailing narrative about masculinity; the narrative that our public schools are failing.

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adjective

1. consisting of or being a narrative.

   a narrative poem.

2. of or relating to narration, or the telling of a story.

   My English teacher's narrative skill makes characters seem to come to life.

3. Fine Arts. representing stories or events pictorially or sculpturally.

   narrative painting.

narrative British  

/ ˈnærətɪv /

noun

1. an account, report, or story, as of events, experiences, etc

2. the part of a literary work that relates events

3. the process or technique of narrating

---

adjective

1. telling a story

   a narrative poem

2. of or relating to narration

   narrative art

Synonym Usage

Narrative, account, recital, history are terms for a story of an event or events. Narrative is the general term (for a story long or short; of past, present, or future; factual or imagined; told for any purpose; and with or without much detail). The other three terms apply primarily to factual stories of time already past. An account is usually told informally, often for entertainment, with emphasis on details of action, whether about an incident or a series of happenings. A recital is an extended narrative usually with an informative purpose, emphasizing accuracy and exhaustive details of facts and figures. A history, usually written and at some length, is characterized by a tracing of causes and effects, and by an attempt to estimate, evaluate, and interpret facts.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnarrative
  adjective
• seminarrative
  adjective
• narratively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• narratives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of narrative

First recorded in 1445–55; from Middle French narratif (adjective and noun), from Late Latin narrātīvus “narration” (noun), “suitable for narration” (adjective), from narrāt(us) “related, told” (past participle of narrāre “to relate, tell, say”) + -īvus, adjective suffix; equivalent to narrate ( def. ) + -ive ( def. )

Explanation

A narrative is a story that you write or tell to someone, usually in great detail. A narrative can be a work of poetry or prose, or even song, theater, or dance. Often a narrative is meant to include the "whole story." A summary will give a few key details and then the narrative will delve into the details. "I hate to interrupt your narrative," is a polite way of stopping someone in the middle of a story. The origin of this noun is the Latin adjective narrativus, from narrare "to tell," from gnarus "knowing." It is related to our English verb know.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

narrative narratives

But, she said, the moment felt like it was changing, and she hopes "American Doctor" might further shift the narrative.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

In 2007, the actor Felicia Day debuted “The Guild,” one of the first works, maybe the first, to demonstrate that the web could be a legitimate platform for full-blown, character-driven, narrative comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

"He's trying to put forward a unified historic narrative - any idea that their leadership offered or suggested a different future path will not be allowed a public airing," he adds.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Casey and Gen’s journey from competitors to confidantes is the film’s familiar emotional center, but tucked into an unfamiliar narrative.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

Tim always said the framing of her father’s narrative was just as important as the message.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

She writes sweeping investigative and long-form narratives that uncover truths about the opaque global art market as well as reports on sales at auction houses including Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

If you only followed the headlines, it was difficult to reconcile the two dominant narratives about Gen Z. Depending on the week, we were either frighteningly reckless or hopelessly boring.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

All the narratives seemed to come together in Barcelona's 3-2 win at Real Madrid on 23 April 2017.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

But these narratives tell you nothing more than that Wall Street’s brokers were exposed at impressionable ages to the Goldilocks fairy tale.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

He prompted nothing; he betrayed by no comment that I should consider the courses described in these narratives.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• account
• anecdote
• book
• chronicle
• chronology
• description
• detail
• fiction
• history
• narration
• plot
• version